Public punishment

Authorities carry out the court-ordered amputation of the fingers of a convicted thief Thursday in a public square in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz. A 29-year-old man was convicted for being part of a 10-member gang that carried out burglaries in the city and on charges of having "illegal relations," according to the Mehr news agency. He was sentenced to the amputation of three fingers, the confiscation of his property and three years in prison. Iran's legal system, based on Shariah, provides for amputation of limbs for theft. Mehr did not identify the man.Mohsen Tavarro/AP Photo

Published January 25. 2013 12:01AM

Authorities carry out the court-ordered amputation of the fingers of a convicted thief Thursday in a public square in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz. A 29-year-old man was convicted for being part of a 10-member gang that carried out burglaries in the city and on charges of having "illegal relations," according to the Mehr news agency. He was sentenced to the amputation of three fingers, the confiscation of his property and three years in prison. Iran's legal system, based on Shariah, provides for amputation of limbs for theft. Mehr did not identify the man.